16 indicted in ‘takedown’ of Newburgh-area drug ring

The state attorney general on Tuesday announced indictments against 16 people who he said have run a violent drug-trafficking ring in the Newburgh area.

Eric Schneiderman said the 172 counts in the indictments include conspiracy, criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a controlled substance.

The indictments were unsealed in Orange County Court, and each of the suspects faces up to 25 years in state prison, Schneiderman said.

The attorney general said the suspects are part of the 600 Gang, which he described as “a violent street gang that has plagued the streets of Newburgh for the past several years.” He said law-enforcement officers who arrested the suspects recovered heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, marijuana, guns and at least $36,000 in cash.

MidHudsonNews.com reported at least some of the suspects were taken into custody on New Road in the town of Newburgh.

“This takedown should send an unmistakable message: We won’t let our communities live in fear,” Schneiderman said in a prepared statement. “Our investigation uncovered a sophisticated drug-trafficking ring that we allege peddled cocaine, heroin and violence....”

Schneiderman said the indictments were the result of a 10-month investigation and are part of an effort to stem the opioid crisis, which he said “ has been catastrophic for small cities and suburban and upstate communities across New York.”

The Attorney General’s Office said it was assisted by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the city of Newburgh Police Department, the Orange County Drug Task Force, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.